Brush Cover

ABSTRACT

A protective brush cover is described for use with a makeup brush. In some versions, the protective brush cover comprises a body and a closing feature. In some versions the protective brush cover comprises a body, a lid, and a securing feature. In some versions, the body is operable to hold the head of a makeup brush, and the body may further have an opening such that the handle of the makeup brush may extend through the opening.

PRIORITY

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/258,697, filed Nov. 6, 2009, entitled “Protective BrushCover,” the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein inits entirety.

FIELD

Versions of the present invention relate generally to protectivedevices, and more particularly, to covering devices for makeupapplicators.

BACKGROUND

Makeup brushes are used to apply makeup, such as foundation or variousother powder forms of cosmetics, and come in a wide variety of shapes,sizes, and configurations. These brushes typically come packaged in aplastic cover to enclose the bristles of the makeup brush to preventdamage to the bristles prior to sale of the brush. Before use, theplastic cover is discarded as it is generally unsuitable for laterprotecting the bristles of the makeup brush. The plastic cover isgenerally a low quality material that tightly binds the bristles of thebrush during transport and prior to sale.

The included plastic cover is unsuitable to store the makeup brush afterthe initial use because it is very difficult to reattach the plasticcover, which also compresses the bristles of the makeup brush. Overtime, repeated use of a makeup brush allows the bristles to expand,providing a better user experience because makeup can be more easily andevenly spread across the surface of the skin. Placing the makeup brushinto the plastic cover recompresses the bristles and reduces thebenefits of using a makeup brush with full bristles.

Previous solutions for transporting a makeup brush require the user toplace the makeup brush in a larger makeup bag, or resealable plasticbag, and place this large bag inside of a purse or other carrying bag.This method is generally cumbersome and undesirable because it consumestoo much space within the purse or bag. Additionally, the makeupcontained on the bristles may be dislodged during transport, whichresults in makeup covering the handle or other portions of the brushthat may make the brush difficult or messy to use. The makeup brush mayalso collect dirt and grime during transport, which could transfer dirtand grime to the face during subsequent use. If the brush is simplyplaced in a purse, or other article, the brush and/or article is likelyto become damaged or stained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims that particularly pointout and distinctly claim the invention, it is believed the expresslydisclosed versions of the present invention can be understood from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference numerals identify the same elements.The drawings and detailed description which follow are intended to bemerely illustrative of the expressly disclosed versions and are notintended to limit the scope of the invention as set forth in theappended claims. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 depicts a top view of a version of a protective brush cover witha makeup brush.

FIG. 2 depicts a top view of an alternative version of a protectivebrush cover with a makeup brush.

FIG. 3 depicts a top view of another alternative version of a protectivebrush cover with a makeup brush.

FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of another alternative version of aprotective brush cover with a makeup brush.

FIG. 5 depicts a front view of the protective brush cover of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 depicts a side view of the protective brush cover of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 depicts a top view of the protective brush cover of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 depicts a perspective view of the protective brush cover of FIG.4 with the makeup brush removed.

FIG. 9 depicts a perspective view of the protective brush cover of FIG.4 with the makeup brush being inserted into the protective brush cover.

FIG. 10 depicts a perspective view of an alternative version of aprotective brush cover.

FIG. 11 depicts a front view of the protective brush cover of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 depicts a side view of the protective brush cover of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 depicts a top view of the protective brush cover of FIG. 10.

FIG. 14 depicts a front view of an alternative version of a protectivebrush cover having a magnetic enclosure.

FIG. 15 depicts a front view of an alternative version of a protectivebrush cover having a snap fit enclosure.

FIG. 16 depicts a front view of an alternative version of a protectivebrush cover having a zipper enclosure.

FIG. 17 depicts a front view of an alternative version of a protectivebrush cover having a magnetic snap lid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description should not be used to limit the scope of theprotective brush cover. Other examples, features, aspects, versions, andadvantages of the protective brush cover will become apparent to thoseskilled in the art from the following description. As will be realized,the protective brush cover is capable of other different and obviousaspects, all without departing from the protective brush cover asdescribed herein. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions should beregarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. It shouldtherefore be understood that the inventor contemplates a variety ofversions that are not explicitly disclosed herein.

In FIG. 1, a version of a protective brush cover (10) is shown. Theprotective brush cover (10) may generally comprise a pouch (12), anopening (18), and a tying feature (16). Protective brush cover (10) maybe used with a makeup brush (50) having bristles (20) and a shaft (14).

Pouch (12) and opening (18) may be configured to receive bristles (20)of makeup brush (50). The shape of pouch (12) may be generally round. Inother versions, the shape of pouch (12) may be cone shaped, cylindricalshaped, triangle shaped, rectangle shaped, square shaped, or any othersuitable shape for receiving makeup brush (50) so as to minimizecompressing bristles (20) of makeup brush (50).

Pouch (12) may be various sizes as well. Pouch (12) may be of a size tocover bristles (20) of makeup brush (50) without substantially coveringshaft (14) of makeup brush (50). In an alternative version, as shown inFIG. 3, pouch 22 may be of a size sufficient to cover the entire makeupbrush (50).

Further, pouch (12) may be of a size and shape to protect bristles (20)of makeup brush (50) while minimizing the overall size of makeup brush(50) and protective brush cover (10) to reduce obtrusiveness in a purseor bag. Pouch (12) may be of a size and shape specifically designed toenclose a particular make and model makeup brush (50). Other suitableshapes and sizes of pouch (12) will be apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art in view of the teachings herein.

The material of pouch (12) may be a soft fabric material. Furthermore,the material of pouch (12) may be rigid or stiff. A flexibly rigidmaterial may be used to allow pouch (12) to maintain shape when placedin a purse or other bag to protect bristles (20) of makeup brush (50).The material of pouch (12) may be selected from any suitable materialincluding, but not limited to, cotton, nylon, polyester, denim, satin,wool, leather, cashmere, linen, felt, silk, velvet, organza, plastic,and vinyl. The material of pouch (12) may also be washable so that pouch(12) may be washed after multiple uses to remove makeup and other dirtfrom pouch (12). Further, the material of pouch (12) may comprise anantibacterial material.

Pouch (12) may comprise various colors and patterns. Suitable colors andpatterns may be selected so that when placed in a purse or other bag,protective brush cover (10) is highly visible to allow quick retrieval.Suitable colors and patterns may be selected for other aestheticreasons. Other suitable colors and patterns of pouch (12) will beapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachingsherein.

The opening (18) of pouch (12) of protective brush cover (10), inversions where the make-up brush is inserted through a bottom opening(18) of the pouch (12), may be of a size suitable to allow the bristleend of a makeup brush to enter. Opening (18) of pouch (12) may be openedand closed through use of a tying feature (16). By manipulating tyingfeature (16), opening (18) of pouch (12) may have two positions: an openposition and a tightened position. In the open position, opening (18) ofpouch (12) may be sufficiently large enough to allow bristle (20) end ofmakeup brush (50) to be easily placed into or removed from pouch (12) ofprotective brush cover (10).

In the tightened position, opening (18) of pouch (12) may substantiallytighten or snuggly tighten around shaft (14) of protective brush cover(10). The tightened position may be sufficiently tight so as to preventunintentional removal of makeup brush (50) from protective brush cover(10). The tightened position may also be sufficiently tight so thatprotective brush cover (10) stays on makeup brush (50) when makeup brush(50) is placed inside a purse or other bag. Other suitable sizes ofopening (18) of pouch (12) will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art in view of the teachings herein.

Tying feature (16) may be configured to work with opening (18) of pouch(12) of protective brush cover (10) to change the size of opening (18).The tying feature (16) may comprise at least one drawstring that may bepulled or loosened to change the size of the opening (18). Tying feature(16) may further comprise a single drawstring or may comprise aplurality of drawstrings. Upon changing the size of opening (18), thedrawstring or plurality of draw strings may be wrapped around protectivebrush cover (10) or may be allowed to freely hang. An additionaltightening feature (not shown), such as, for example, a bead may be usedto maintain the open or the tightened position of tying feature (16).Other suitable methods or configurations to tighten or loosen opening(18) of pouch (12) may be used as well. For example, tying feature (16)may comprise, but is not limited to, one or more clasps, rubber bands,flexible wires, ribbon, etc., suitable to manipulate the size or shapeof opening (18) of pouch (12) of protective brush cover (10).

In one version, the user may use protective brush cover (10) by placingthe brush through opening (18) of protective brush cover (10) and intopouch (12). Then the user may engage tying feature (16) to tightenopening (18) of protective brush cover (10). The user may then placeprotective brush cover (10) in the user's purse or other bag for storageor transport. In an alternative version, the user may place makeup brush(50) in protective brush cover (10) and may place the covered makeupbrush (50) in a purse, a makeup bag, or other bag without manipulatingtying feature (16).

The user may then transport or store the covered makeup brush (50) inthe purse or other bag. The user may remove the covered makeup brush(50) from the purse or other bag. The user may remove makeup brush (50)from protective brush cover (10) by loosening tying feature (16) or bysimply removing the brush from protective brush cover (10) withoutmanipulating tying feature (16).

FIGS. 4-9 depict another version of a protective brush cover (100) foruse with a makeup brush (150). Makeup brush (150) comprises a handle(114) and a head (120). Protective brush cover (100) comprises a body(132) and a lid (124). Body (132) is shaped to have a slightly flattenedfrustoconical shape with a mouth (134) and a neck opening (130). Neckopening (130) is sized wide enough such that handle (114) of makeupbrush (150) may be inserted through neck opening (130) yet narrow enoughthat head (120) of makeup brush (150) does not slip through neck opening(130). The contours of body (132) may be sufficiently wide such that thewalls do not compress or damage the bristles of head (120), yet narrowenough such that protective brush cover (100) and makeup brush (150) canbe easily placed into, for example, a purse. The degree of flatness ofbody (132) may be shaped such that it generally tracks the contours ofhead (120) of makeup brush (150). For example, if makeup brush (150) isvery wide or if the bristles of makeup brush (150) flare widely, body(132) may be shaped to accommodate such flare. Body (132) comprises agenerally rigid material such as a cardboard or plastic. However anysuitable material may be used.

Near mouth (134) of body (132), a semicircular recess (128) is formed.Recess (128) is shaped to complement the magnetic tab (126) attached tolid (124). Recess (128) may comprise a magnet or other magneticallyinfluenced material or metal embedded beneath the surface of the recesssuch that when lid (124) shuts upon body (132), recess (128) and tab(126) magnetically lock together to keep lid (124) closed. The force ofthe magnetic bond formed between recess (128) and tab (126) maygenerally be strong enough such that lid (124) is not inadvertentlyopened, for example, during transport, but weak enough such that a usermay easily open lid (124) by decoupling magnetic bind between recess(128) and tab (126). While recess (128) and tab (126) comprise acomplementary semi circular shape, any suitable shape for recess (128)and tab (126) may be used as would be apparent to one of ordinary skillin the art in view of the teachings herein. Furthermore, a vent hole(140) is positioned on body (132) to provide ventilation withinprotective brush cover (100) while makeup brush (150) is placed inprotective brush cover (100) with lid (124) closed.

Generally, protective brush cover (100) may be used as shown in FIGS.8-9. Lid (124) of protective brush cover (100) is opened and makeupbrush (150) is inserted through mouth (134) of protective brush cover(100). Handle (114) of makeup brush (150) travels through neck opening(130). The taper of the portion near neck opening (130) of protectivebrush cover (100) aids in preventing makeup brush (150) from slidingcompletely through neck opening (130). Furthermore the taper of neckopening (130) enables a user to simply drop makeup brush (150) intoprotective brush cover (100) since the taper helps guide makeup brush(150) through neck opening. Additionally, as mentioned above, neckopening (130) may be sufficiently narrow so as to form a grip around aneck portion (122) of makeup brush (150).

Once makeup brush (150) is inserted into protective brush cover (100)such that head (120) is enclosed, the user can close lid (124) ofprotective brush cover (100) for transport or storage of makeup brush(150).

FIGS. 10-13 depict an alternative version of a protective brush cover(200) that is substantially similar to protective brush cover (200)shown in FIGS. 4-9 where the protective brush cover (200) comprises abody (232), mouth (234), neck opening (230), and recess (228). In theillustrated version, protective brush cover (200) comprises an interiorloop (236) with a connecting portion (238) to attach interior loop (236)to body (232) of protective brush cover (200). Interior loop (236)comprises generally a wire loop able to grip the neck of a makeup brush,such as the makeup brush shown in FIGS. 4-9. It will be appreciated thatinterior loop (236) may provide additional stability in securing amakeup brush.

FIG. 14 depicts an alternative version of a protective brush cover (300)comprising a body (332), a neck opening (330), a mouth (334) and amagnetic strip (326) for use with a makeup brush (350), which comprisesa head (320), a handle (314), and a neck (322). In the illustratedversion, body (332) comprises a cloth-like material. Of course, anysuitable material may be used.

Magnetic strip (326) has a generally arc-like shape that matches theshape of mouth (334). A second similarly shaped magnetic strip (notshown) is positioned opposite to magnetic strip (326) such that mouth(334) may be held shut once a makeup brush (350) is placed though (334)of protective brush cover (300) by joining magnetic strip (326) with thesecond magnetic strip. While in this version, magnetic strip (326) andthe second magnetic strip are similarly shaped, they may have differentshapes, such as, for example, complementary shapes or interlockingshapes.

Neck opening (330) comprises gathered fabric material having an elasticband, rope, thread, drawstring, or liner extending circumferentiallyaround neck opening (330) such that neck opening (330) may be opened andthen tightened around a neck (322) of a makeup brush (350) once a handle(314) of makeup brush (350) is placed through neck opening (330). Thetightness of neck opening (330) is sufficient such that makeup brush(350) should not slip out of neck opening (330), yet not so tight thatmakeup brush (350) cannot be intentionally removed from protective brushcover (300).

FIG. 15 depicts an alternative version of a protective brush cover (400)comprising a body (432), a neck opening (430), a flap (434), and afastener (426) for use with a makeup brush (450) having a handle (414),a neck (422) and a head (420). Flap (434) is designed to cover the mouth(not shown) of protective brush cover (400). In the illustrated version,fastener (426) comprises a snap button fit, but any suitable fasteningmeans may be used, such as, for example, a clasp, hook, or pin.

FIG. 16 depicts an alternative version of a protective brush cover (500)comprising a body (532), a neck opening (530), a zipper opening (534),and a zipper pull (526). Zipper pull (526) may be manipulated by a userto open and close zipper opening (534) of protective brush cover suchthat a makeup brush (550) having a head (520), neck (522) and handle(514) may be inserted or removed through zipper opening (534). In oneversion, the neck opening may remain closed where, for example, when thezipper pull (526) is actuated only a side portion of the brush cover(500) is unzipped. In this version, the handle (514) may be insertedthrough the neck opening, the brush (520) may be positioned within thebrush cover (500), and the zipper pull (526) may then be actuated toclose the brush cover (500).

FIG. 17 depicts an alternative version of a protective brush cover (600)comprising a body (632), a magnetic flap (626), and an embedded band(630) for use with a makeup brush (650) having a head (620), a neck(622), and a handle (614).

Embedded band (630) may be sized to fit a variety of different brushsizes. For example, for larger brushes, embedded band (630) may be wideror longer. Accordingly, a shorter or narrower embedded band (63) may beused for smaller brushes. Also, the illustrated version comprises agenerally square-like shaped protective brush cover (600). It will beappreciated that as the length or width of embedded band (630) isselected for the appropriate size makeup brush (650), the dimensions orgeneral shape of protective brush cover (600) may be adjusted toaccommodate embedded band (630).

Magnetic flap (626) comprises a flap having a magnet embedded in theflap. Magnetic flap (626) may join with an associated element embeddedin body (632) of protective brush cover (600) to close protective brushcover (600) once makeup brush (650) has been inserted.

Having shown and described various versions of the protective brushcover, further adaptations of the methods and systems described hereinmay be accomplished by appropriate modifications by one of ordinaryskill in the art without departing from the scope of the protectivebrush cover. Several of such potential modifications have beenmentioned, and others will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Forinstance, the examples, versions, geometrics, materials, steps, and thelike discussed above are illustrative and are not required. Accordingly,the scope of the protective brush cover should be considered in terms ofthe following claims and is understood not to be limited to the detailsof structure and operation shown and described in the specification anddrawings.

1. An apparatus comprising: (a) a body comprising a first end and asecond end, wherein the second end is positioned opposite the first endand having material extending generally circumferentially therebetween,the first end comprising a first opening configured to receive a handleof a makeup brush, the second end comprising a second opening configuredto receive the handle, the second opening being sized such that a headof the makeup brush is larger than the second opening, the materialextending circumferentially between the first end and the second endbeing configured to form a pocket, wherein the pocket is configured tohouse the head of the makeup brush such that the handle of the makeupbrush extends pendulently through the second opening; and (b) a closingfeature in communication with the body, the closing feature beingconfigured to retain a makeup brush once the head of the makeup brush ispositioned within the pocket.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theclosing feature comprises a lid having a magnetic tab, the magnetic tabbeing configured to magnetically couple with a recess positioned on thebody, the tab being configured to have a complementary shape with therecess.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body is configured tohave a generally flattened frustoconical shape.
 4. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the body further comprises a holding loop positioned inthe interior of the body.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theclosing feature comprises a pair of magnets embedded in the body, thepair of magnets comprising an arc-like shape and positioned toselectively couple with each other.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe second end further comprises an elastic ring configured to tightenaround the handle of the makeup brush.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the closing feature comprises a flap with an attached button. 8.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the closing feature comprises azipper, the zipper being connected to a zipper pull.
 9. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the body comprises a fabric material.
 10. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the body comprises a rigid material.
 11. A containerfor enclosing the head of a makeup brush comprising: (a) a body, thebody comprising a generally flared shape, wherein the flare of the bodycorresponds to the overall shape of a head of a makeup brush, the bodyhaving a first opening formed therein, the first opening being sizedsuch that a handle of the makeup brush can extend through the firstopening, the first opening being further sized such that the head of themakeup brush is unable to pass through the first opening, the bodyfurther comprising a second opening; and (b) a lid in communication withthe body, the lid being operable to close the second opening; and (c) asecuring feature in communication with the lid, the securing featurebeing in further communication with the body, wherein the securingfeature is configured to secure the lid to the body such that the secondopening remains closed.
 12. The container of claim 11, wherein thesecuring feature comprises a magnetic tab.
 13. The container of claim11, wherein the securing feature comprises a snap button.
 14. Thecontainer of claim 11, wherein the lid and the body are in communicationthrough a hinge.
 15. The container of claim 11, wherein the bodycomprises a generally conical shape.
 16. The container of claim 11,wherein the body comprises a soft, fabric-like material.
 17. Thecontainer of claim 11, further comprising a band in communication withthe first opening, the band being configured to adjust the size of thefirst opening.
 18. The container of claim 11, further comprising adrawstring in communication with the first opening.
 19. The container ofclaim 11, wherein the body comprises a rigid, form-retaining material.20. An apparatus comprising: (a) a body, the body comprising afrustoconical shape having a first elliptically shaped opening and asecond elliptically shaped opening, the first opening being sized to fita handle of a makeup brush, the second opening having a larger diameterthan the first opening, the first opening being sized smaller than ahead of a makeup brush, the body being constructed of a rigid,form-retaining material; (b) a lid in communication with the bodythrough a hinge, the lid having the same shape as the second opening,the lid comprising a semicircular tab extending perpendicularly from thelid toward the body, the tab comprising a first embedded magnet, whereinthe semicircular shape of the tab complements a recess embedded in thebody, the recess comprising a second embedded magnet operable to couplewith the first embedded magnet.